Ficool

Chapter 25 - "A New Sister and the Fifth Hokage's Road."

-----

-----

The threshold for mastering super strength was right there in front of them.

Getting started was already insanely hard.

Back in the day, even within the Senju clan, plenty of people couldn't grasp it—never mind ordinary ninja.

Tsunade thought for a moment.

"Your ability doesn't worry me. But for now, don't go teaching it around. Not because I'm being stingy or refusing to share—it's just a really dangerous technique."

"I understand."

Leo's expression turned serious.

He knew his own situation best.

If not for the system, even knowing the method wouldn't help—never mind using it with the risk of injuries. Just getting started would have been almost impossible.

If an ordinary person tried to learn it recklessly…

They'd probably end up crippled.

Take Haruno Sakura—she was talented in this area, and even she spent a huge amount of time training before she got it down.

Tsunade's warning was no exaggeration.

Her expression finally relaxed, like she'd put down a burden, and she even smiled a bit.

Then she tossed a package at him.

Leo opened it.

A whole sack of soldier pills—a full basket's worth!

His face lit up.

"Tsunade-sama—"

"Don't call me that. Based on your grandmother's generation, you and I barely count as… siblings."

Tsunade said it casually.

Senju Momoka wasn't closely related to Hashirama, but she was highly valued and her family got along very well with theirs.

Leo hesitated.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow and leaned forward—waves and curves boldly on display, the kind that hit like a physical attack.

"What? Do you think I'm too old to be your big sister?"

"N-no! Absolutely not!"

What kind of death trap question was that?

Leo didn't dare answer wrong.

He quickly waved his hands.

"I just mean—if you're my sis now, then how do I… classify myself when it comes to my teacher? It feels messy!"

"That doesn't conflict at all. If Jiraiya has an opinion, tell him to come talk to me. And if he bullies you, come find me too."

Tsunade leaned against a wooden shelf.

She tilted her head, looking at the old-fashioned room, then chuckled.

"Didn't you say before that you want to be Hokage?"

"Yeah!"

If Sarutobi could sit on that seat, why couldn't he?

With a Hokage system in hand, if he still didn't become Hokage, he might as well be a salted fish.

Leo's goal was rock solid.

Tsunade smiled. "Then you'd better work hard. I'll aim for Fourth Hokage. After that, you'd better hustle so you can take over as Fifth!"

"You're seriously going for it?"

Leo's eyes lit up.

Tsunade laughed softly.

"I'm mostly saying it for fun. Look at me now—do you really think I could be Hokage like this?"

"You could."

Leo answered without hesitation.

Tsunade froze.

She smiled wryly. "You're not just trying to comfort me, are you?"

"How could I? People of my generation grew up listening to stories about you. Besides…"

Leo paused, then decided to speak honestly. "Maybe you should look at things from another angle."

"You little brat—what angle now?"

Tsunade eyed him.

The last time he had an idea, she ended up slamming the conference table.

What was it this time?

Leo said, "Since you weren't born with hemophobia, then it's a psychological condition. If it's an illness, why not try treating it?"

"Treat… it?"

Tsunade blinked, then let out a small laugh. "It's not that simple."

"I was reading about genjutsu these past few days. Some illusions affect emotions. So logically, there should be medicine that affects emotions too. If people could feel a bit happier every day, maybe psychological issues would get better faster."

"Emotions…"

As the foremost medical expert in the shinobi world, Tsunade knew very well that there were herbs that positively influenced mood.

But—

She had never once thought of using them to treat psychological trauma.

Because of that…

There wasn't a single finished medication for it.

She thought for a long moment.

"It's worth trying, but the problem is the risk. Experimenting won't be easy."

"We could start with ninja beasts?" Leo suggested.

Ninja beasts were smart enough to communicate—making them reasonable test subjects.

Tsunade shook her head.

If only it were that easy.

You'd need the right symptoms to confirm whether a method was effective. And even if it worked…

"So what? What's the point?"

"I think… we're not the only ones who lost people in the war. Some people can process it on their own, but some can't. For example… my teammate, Kakashi."

Leo finally mentioned him.

Hatake Sakumo, and Kakashi…

Tsunade grew thoughtful. She propped her chin on her hand, watching Leo, then stood up.

"I'll think about it later—got enough on my plate as it is. Oh, and that bag of soldier pills? They're not all for you. Take some, and the rest are interest I owe Jiraiya. Bring them to him tomorrow."

"Oh, got it."

So they weren't all his.

Well then.

Leo's excitement instantly cooled.

The Next Day — Konoha's Hokage Building

A lot of ninja had heard the commotion yesterday. Today the building buzzed with quiet gossip about what exactly happened.

Tenma Izumo was among them.

He and another chunin were whispering intensely.

Leo followed Jiraiya inside and caught bits of their conversation as they hurried past.

He stepped forward quickly.

After listening for a few seconds, he quietly asked:

"So… who did it?"

"Who else? Must've been Lady Tsunade! Jiraiya-sama may be a perv, but he doesn't have that kind of temper. The guy just likes doing—"

Tenma Izumo muttered under his breath.

But then—

He suddenly realized something was off. The entire room had gone dead silent.

He looked up—and instantly turned to stone.

Right in front of him stood Jiraiya. And behind him, Tsunade's face was dark, her eyes far from friendly—as if she was about to murder someone.

His legs went weak, and he almost dropped to his knees, barely catching himself on the table.

Leo quietly slipped behind the two Sannin, hiding both his accomplishment and his role in this disaster.

"J-Jiraiya-sama… L-Lady Tsunade!"

Between the two, Tsunade was clearly the more terrifying.

Because she actually hit people—and afterwards, she could heal them so fast they wouldn't even get medical leave.

Tenma Izumo bowed deeply. "I'm sorry!"

Tsunade's expression stayed cold as she walked upstairs. The chunin who had been chatting with him vanished instantly, leaving Izumo frozen in embarrassment.

Kurenai covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.

Jiraiya tapped his fingers on the table.

"Izumo… you'd better be more careful around Konoha."

Izumo braced himself. "Jiraiya-sama, I won't do it again."

"I don't really care. Heh. Anyway—go process something for me. The Matsuyama family's request should've arrived, right?"

Jiraiya asked.

Izumo immediately straightened up and searched through the files.

A moment later—

"Yes, Matsuyama Ichirōku is already here, in the side hall."

He held up the mission scroll.

"Here's the request."

"Good."

Jiraiya grabbed the documents and headed to the next room.

In the Side Hall, First Floor

A middle-aged man sat waiting. Beside him was a young jōnin, who quickly wrapped up their conversation and left after greeting Jiraiya.

Judging from his appearance, he was probably Nara Shikaku.

"Jiraiya-sama, I'm Matsuyama Ichirōku."

"Nice to meet you. If there's nothing else, shall we head out now?"

"Could we wait for a bit? I have a shipment to pick up from the Nara Clan—planning to sell it in the Land of Waves."

Matsuyama said.

"When do we leave?"

"This afternoon."

"That's fine."

"....."

More Chapters